AAA Forecasts Decrease in Labor Day Travel
Indianapolis, IN (Aug.
22, 2008) –
Nearly 34.38 million
Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Labor
Day weekend, down 0.9 percent, or almost 320,000 Americans,
from the 34.7 million who traveled last year. This year
marks the first decline in Labor Day holiday travel since
2006.
Approximately 28.64 million
Americans (more than 83 percent of all holiday travelers)
expect to travel by automobile, a 1.1 percent decrease from
the 28.97 million people who drove to their holiday
destinations last year.
Almost 3.96 million
Americans (11.5 percent of holiday travelers) intend to
travel by airplane, a 4.5 percent decrease from the 4.14
million people who flew one year ago.
A projected 1.8 million
Americans (5 percent of holiday travelers) plan to go by
train, bus or other mode of transportation. That represents
an increase of 12.5 percent (or 200,000 travelers) over the
1.6 million who traveled by a mode other than automobile or
airplane in 2007.
AAA’s Leisure Travel Index (LTI),
which is based on available rates this holiday, reveals that
Labor Day holiday travelers can expect increases in some
travel costs when compared to what rates were last year.
Those traveling by airplane will find air fares over the
holiday weekend 15 percent higher than in 2007. Hotel rates
for AAA Three Diamond hotels are unchanged from last year’s
Labor Day holiday travel period.
AAA’s LTI shows an average
increase in car rental prices of two percent. However, car
rental rates vary from location to location, with some
cities in AAA’s index showing significant increases and
others showing significant decreases compared to a year ago.
AAA’s index for car rentals is based on the average lowest
intermediate size car daily rate in 20 U.S. airport
locations. The rates do not include sales tax, insurance or
other miscellaneous charges.
Research for Labor Day
weekend holiday travel projections are derived from the
Travel Industry Association’s (TIA) Holiday Travel Forecast
Model. The model was developed based on consumer travel
intentions and TIA’s quarterly travel forecast data. The
travel intentions data are collected through an online
survey of more than 2,000 adults nationwide and supplemented
by an additional 6,500 Americans surveyed from the top 10
states of travel origin in the United States. Analysis of
the data and the forecasts are produced by the Travel
Industry Association, which conducts special research for
AAA.
AAA
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